Psalm 57

The Voice

Psalm 57

For the worship leader. A prayer^[a] of David to the tune “Do Not Destroy,”^[b] when he hid from Saul in a cave.

This individual lament refers back to those perilous times when David fled from Saul and hid in caves (1 Samuel 22; 24). David found real security not in the hidden recesses of the caves but in the shadow of God’s wings.

¹Mercy. May Your mercy come to me, O God,
    for my soul is safe within You, the guardian of my life.
I will seek protection in the shade of Your wings
    until the destruction has passed.
²I cry out to God, the Most High,
    to God who always does what is good for me.
³Out of heaven my rescue comes.
    He dispatches His mercy and truth
And goes after whoever tries to run over me.

[pause]^[c]

⁴I am surrounded by lions;
I lie in a den of ravenous beasts.
Those around me have spears and arrows for teeth,
a sharpened blade for a tongue.

⁵O God, be lifted up above the heavens;
may Your glory cover the earth.

⁶Yet my foes cast a net to catch my feet and bring me to my knees.
I am weary from all of this.
They dug a pit to snare me
but fell into their own trap.

[pause]

⁷My heart is ready, O God;
    my heart is ready,
And I will sing!
    Yes, I will sing praise!
⁸Wake up, my glory!
    Wake up, harp and lyre;
    I will stir the sleepy dawn with praise!
⁹I will offer You my thanks, O Lord, before the nations of the world;
    I will sing of Your greatness no matter where I am.
¹⁰For Your amazing mercy ascends far into the heavens;
    Your truth rises above the clouds.
¹¹O God, be lifted up above the heavens;
    may Your glory cover the earth.

Footnotes

57:title Hebrew, miktam, meaning is uncertain.
57:title Hebrew, al-tashheth, meaning is uncertain.
57:3 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”